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Work Force Adjustment Glossary

Accelerated lay-off

...occurs when a surplus employee makes a request to the deputy head, in writing, to be laid-off at an earlier date than that originally scheduled, and the Deputy Head concurs. Lay-off entitlements begin on the actual date of lay-off.

Affected employee

...is an indeterminate employee who has been informed in writing that his or her services may no longer be required because of a workforce adjustment situation.

Alternation

...occurs when an opting employee (not a surplus employee) who wishes to remain in the Core Public Administration exchanges positions with a non-affected employee (the alternate) willing to leave the Core Public Administration with a transition support measure or with an education allowance.

Alternative delivery initiative

...is the transfer of any work, undertaking or business of the Core Public Administration to any body or corporation that is a separate agency or that is outside the Core Public Administration.

Appointing department or organization

...is a department or organization which has agreed to appoint or consider for appointment (either immediately or after retraining) a surplus or a laid-off person.

Core Public Administration

...means that part of the public service in or under any department or organization, or other portion of the federal public administration specified in Schedules I and IV to the Financial Administration Act (FAA) for which the PSC has the sole authority to appoint.

Deputy head

...has the same meaning as in the definition of “deputy head” set out in section 2 of the Public Service Employment Act, and also means his or her official designate.

Education allowance

...is one of the options provided to an indeterminate employee affected by normal workforce adjustment for whom the deputy head cannot guarantee a reasonable job offer. The education allowance is a cash payment equivalent to the transition support measure (see Annex B), plus a reimbursement of tuition from a recognized learning institution and book and mandatory equipment costs, up to a maximum of ten thousand dollars ($10,000).

Guarantee of a reasonable job offer

...is a guarantee of an offer of indeterminate employment within the Core Public Administration provided by the deputy head to an indeterminate employee who is affected by workforce adjustment. Deputy heads will be expected to provide a guarantee of a reasonable job offer to those affected employees for whom they know or can predict that employment will be available in the Core Public Administration. Surplus employees in receipt of this guarantee will not have access to the options available in Part VI of this Appendix.

Home department or organization

...is a department or organization declaring an individual employee surplus.

Laid-off person

...is a person who has been laid-off pursuant to subsection 64(1) of the PSEA and who still retains an appointment priority under subsection 41(4) and section 64 of the PSEA.

Lay-off notice

...is a written notice of lay-off to be given to a surplus employee at least one (1) month before the scheduled lay-off date. This period is included in the surplus period.

Lay-off priority

...a person who has been laid-off is entitled to a priority, in accordance with subsection 41(5) of the PSEA with respect to any position to which the PSC is satisfied that the person meets the essential qualifications; the period of entitlement to this priority is one (1) year as set out in Section 11 of the PSER. This priority period is unpaid.

Opting employee

...is an indeterminate employee whose services will no longer be required because of a workforce adjustment situation, who has not received a guarantee of a reasonable job offer from the deputy head and who has one hundred and twenty (120) days to consider the options in section 6.3 of this Appendix.

Organization

...Any Board, Agency, Commission or other body, specified in Schedules I and IV of the Financial Administration Act (FAA), that is not a department.

Pay

...has the same meaning as “rate of pay” in your Collective Agreement.

Priority Information Management System (PIMS)

...is a system designed by the Public Service Commission to facilitate appointments of individuals entitled to statutory and regulatory priorities.

Reasonable job offer

...is an offer of indeterminate employment within the Core Public Administration, normally at an equivalent level, but which could include lower levels. Surplus employees must be both trainable and mobile. Where practicable, a reasonable job offer shall be within the employee's headquarters as defined in the Travel Directive. In alternative delivery situations, a reasonable offer is one that meets the criteria set out under Type 1 and Type 2 in Part VII of this Appendix. A reasonable job offer is also an offer from a FAA Schedule V employer, providing that:

(a) The appointment is at a rate of pay and an attainable salary maximum not less than the employee's current salary and attainable maximum that would be in effect on the date of offer.

(b) It is a seamless transfer of all employee benefits including a recognition of years of service for the definition of continuous employment and accrual of benefits, including the transfer of sick leave credits, severance pay and accumulated vacation leave credits.

Reinstatement priority

...is an entitlement provided to surplus employees and laid-off persons who are appointed or deployed to a position in the federal public administration at a lower level. As per section 10 of the PSER, the entitlement lasts for one (1) year.

Relocation

...is the authorized geographic move of a surplus employee or laid-off person from one place of duty to another place of duty located beyond what, according to local custom, is a normal commuting distance.

Relocation of work unit

...is the authorized move of a work unit of any size to a place of duty located beyond what, according to local custom, is normal commuting distance from the former work location and from the employee's current residence.

Retraining

...is on-the-job training or other training intended to enable affected employees, surplus employees and laid-off persons to qualify for known or anticipated vacancies within the Core Public Administration.

Surplus employee

...is an indeterminate employee who has been formally declared surplus, in writing, by his or her deputy head.

Surplus priority

...is an entitlement for a priority in appointment accorded in accordance with section 5 of the PSER and pursuant to section 40 of the PSEA; this entitlement is provided to surplus employees to be appointed in priority to another position in the federal public administration for which they meet the essential requirements.

Surplus status

...An indeterminate employee has surplus status from the date he or she is declared surplus until the date of lay-off, until he or she is indeterminately appointed to another position, until his or her surplus status is rescinded, or until the person resigns.

Transition support measure

...is one of the options provided to an opting employee for whom the Deputy Head cannot guarantee a reasonable job offer. The transition support measure is a cash payment based on the employee's years of continuous employment, as per Annex B.

Twelve (12) month surplus priority period in which to secure a reasonable job offer

...is one of the options provided to an opting employee for whom the Deputy Head cannot guarantee a reasonable job offer.

Workforce adjustment

...is a situation that occurs when a Deputy Head decides that the services of one or more indeterminate employees will no longer be required beyond a specified date because of a lack of work, the discontinuance of a function, a relocation in which the employee does not wish to participate or an alternative delivery initiative.